Enkapune Ya Muto (DBS)
Basic information
Sample name: Enkapune Ya Muto (DBS)

Sample aka: Twilight Cave

Reference: C. W. Marean. 1992. Hunter to herder: large mammal remains from the hunter-gatherer occupation at Enkapune Ya Muto rock-shelter, Central Rift, Kenya. The African Archaeological Review 10(1):65-127 [ER 3705]
Geography
Country: Kenya



Coordinate: 0° 50' S, 36° 9' E
Coordinate basis: stated in text

Time interval: Holocene

Section: 3705

Unit number: 5

Unit order: above to below

Max Ma: 0.005785

Min Ma: 0.005365

Age basis: radiocarbon (uncalibrated)

Geography comments: "Enkapune Ya Muto (EYM), also known as Twilight Cave, is a large enclosed rock-shelter located on a steep slope in a large incised gully on the eastern face of the Mau Escarpment above the Naivasha basin in the Central Rift Valley of Kenya".
Radiocarbon dates for the DBS layers range from 5785 ± 200 BP to 5365 ± 235 BP.

Environment
Lithology: ash

Taphonomic context: human accumulation,rock shelter

Archaeology: stone tools

Habitat comments: "The Mau Escarpment is mostly formed of volcanic ashes and tufts with occasional outcrops of agglomerates and more heavily consolidated lavas. The stratigraphy was complex but the layers were typically distinct and horizontal".
"The six major EYM aggregates preserve various forms of evidence inconsistent with accumulations by porcupines and carnivores, indicating persistent occupation of the shelter by people".
Human accumulation of the remains is "further substantiated by the density of artefacts and the high frequencies of cutmarks on the bones". Stone tools of the Eburran industry, "characterized by geometric and non-geometric microliths produced from narrow blades of obsidian", are present.

Methods
Life forms: carnivores,primates,rodents,ungulates,other large mammals,other small mammals

Sampling methods: quarry

Sample size: 506 specimens

Sampling comments: "The site was excavated during the two field seasons in 18 1-m squares, placed primarily in the northern section of the rock-shelter. The depth of the deposits, over 5 m, along with a rock shelf warranted reduction of the area excavated in the deeper deposits".

Metadata
Sample number: 3918

Contributor: Benjamin Carter

Enterer: Benjamin Carter

Created: 2022-03-07 13:24:42

Modified: 2023-05-29 23:33:25

Abundance distribution
27 species
8 singletons
total count 506
geometric series index: 46.6
Fisher's α: 6.093
geometric series k: 0.8285
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.8574
Shannon's H: 2.3139
Good's u: 0.9842
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
Register
Aepyceros melampus151 kg browser-grazer
Alcelaphus buselaphus9143 kg grazer-browser
Eudorcas thomsonii120 kg
"Gazella thomsoni"
Hippotragus equinus9246 kg grazer
Ourebia ourebi2314 kg grazer-browser
Potamochoerus porcus166 kg
also 8 Suidae indet.
Raphicerus campestris49.7 kg browser-grazer
Redunca sp.44
"bohor/mountain reedbuck"
Sylvicapra grimmia6813 kg browser-grazer
Syncerus caffer8548 kg grazer-browser
Tragelaphus scriptus8631 kg browser-grazer
Tragelaphus imberbis192 kg
also 3225 Bovidae indet.
Canis mesomelas17.9 kg carnivore
Crocuta crocuta166 kg carnivore
Leptailurus serval2410 kg carnivore
"Felis serval"
Genetta tigrina21.7 kg invertivore-carnivore
Herpestinae indet.2
Lycaon pictus326 kg carnivore
Mellivora capensis47.7 kg carnivore-invertivore
Panthera pardus433 kg carnivore
Chlorocebus aethiops10 frugivore-folivore
"Cercopithecus aethiops"
Homo sapiens164 kg
Hystrix sp.6
"cape/crested porcupine"
Lepus capensis2
Papio sp.1
Procaviidae indet.57
Thryonomys gregorianus1332.2 kg